Shoe



Jan. 2, 1934. C F ROHN ET AL 1,942,001

SHOE

Filed June 19, 1935 INVENTOR.

Cfimn/ BY. 6 Q.W W,MWW

ATTORNEY.

Fatentedl Jan. 2, 193% LEMZAPM SHQIE Chester F. Rolm, Whitefish Bay, andFranklyn iii. Rohn, Milwaukee, Wis.

Application June 19, 1933. Serial No. 676,478

8 Claims.

This invention relates'generally to improvements in the art ofmanufacturing footwear, and relates more specifically to improvements inthe construction of cushioned shoes especially of the Goodyear welttype.

An object of the invention is'to provide an improved cushioned shoestructure which is simple in construction, and which is moreover durableand comfortable in use.

It has heretofore been proposed as shown and described in patent No.1,919,862, granted July 25, 1933, to provide a cushioned shoe structurewherein a pad of cushioning material such as sponge rubber ofsubstantially uniform thickness, is disposed within the entire areabounded by the inseam ridge of a Goodyear welt type of shoe, and anauxiliary cushion which is separated from the heel portion of the mainpad by a flexible drum, is interposed between this drum and the heelseat, being disposed within a circular opening in the heel portion ofthe outer sole. While this prior structure accomplishes all of itsintended objects and has proven highly successful in commercial use, itsmanufacture presents some undesirable problems, and the perforation ofthe outer sole for the reception of the auxiliary cushion may in somecases prove objectionable due to possible entry of moisture to thecushion chamber or space through the opening in the outer sole.

It is therefore a more specific object of the present invention toprovide an improved cushioned shoe, which is similar in action to thisprior structure, but wherein necessity of recessing or of perforatingthe outer sole for the reception of the auxiliary cushion, is entirelyavoided, thereby not only eliminating the difficulties in manufacturebut also the structural objections existing in the previous constructionreferred to as well as in prior shoes of the same general type.

Another specific object of the present invention is to provide animproved cushioned heel construction for Goodyear welt shoes or thelike, wherein the heel bone of the wearer is most effectively cushioned,and in which the use of nails or the like may be entirely avoided if sodesired.

A further specific object of the invention is to provide a durablecushioned heel structure of such improved construction that the shoes towhich it is applied will retain their intended shape withoutdepreciating in cushioning efiect.

Still another specific object of the invention is to provide an improvedcushioned shoe built up of a minimum number of relatively simple parts,thus permitting the manufacture and sale of the improved structure atminimum cost.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages will be more clearlyapparent from the following detailed description.

A clear conception of an embodiment of the several features constitutingthe present improve ment, and of the mode of constructing one type ofshoe built in accordance with the invention, may be had by referring tothe drawing accompanying and forming a part of this specification inwhich like reference characters designate the same or similar parts inthe various views:

Fig. 1 is a central longitudinal section through one of the improvedcushioned shoes, showing the details of the interior constructionthereof;

Fig. 2 is a bottom view of the shoe partly assembled, the view beingtaken along the surface 2 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of thearrow;

Fig. 3 is another bottom view of the shoe in more completely assembledcondition, the view being taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 1 looking inthe direction of the arrow; and

Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical section through the heel portion of theshoe, taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. 1. i

While the invention has been specifically shown and described herein asbeing applied to a Goodyear welt type of shoe for men, it is notintended to thereby unnecessarily restrict the scope since 5 some of thenovel features are obviously more generally applicable to footwear ofother classes. Referring to the drawing, the improved Goodyear welt typeof shoe structure comprises in general an upper 8 having the usuallining 9 and counter 10 forming a part thereof; an insole 11 having acontinuous and integral downwardly projecting inseam ridge 12; a welt 13extending entirely around the lower part of the upper 8 and around theinsole 11; a resilient cushion pad 14 substantially filling the recessor cavity in the lower portion of the insole 11 formed by theuninterrupted inseam ridge 12; an outsole 15 extending throughout theentire area beneath the insole 11, welt 13 and pad 14; and a heelstructure composed of a heel base 16 and a lower heel 17 attached insuperimposed relationship to each other and to the rear portion of theoutsole 15.

The upper 8 including the lining 9 and counter 10, is firmly attached tothe inseam ridge 12 of the insole 11, and to the welt 13, by means ofinseam stitching 18 of well-known form extending entirely around theshoe. The main resilient pad 14 may be formed of any suitable springy orresilient material such as sponge rubber, and this 110 pad may becomposed of one or of several pieces of such thickness that they willsubstantially fill the cavity formed by the inseam ridge 12 withoutundesirable projection of the pad below the ridge after assembly of theshoe. The insole 11 may be provided with one or more vent holes 19 asshown in Fig. 1, in order to permit breathing of the pad 14 and thuspermit most effective expansion and contraction of the sponge rubber.

A resilient metallic shank stiffener 20 may also be provided directlybeneath the shank portion of the main cushion pad 14, and beneath therear end of this shank stiffener 20 and the heel portion of the shoe, islocated an insert 21 formed of leather, fibre-board or the like. Theinsert 21 has a central generally circular opening 22 therein, and thisopening is substantially filled by an auxiliary pad 23 formed ofcushioning material such as sponge rubber. The circular cushion pad 23is adapted to lie flat against the upper surface of the heel portion ofthe outsole 15 as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 4, and may be of greaterthickness than the insert 21 so as to become partially embedded in theheel portion of the main cushion pad 14 and to slightly elevate theinsole 11 at the heel bone seat in the completed shoe structure. Theauxiliary pad 23 while being formed independently of the main pad 14,coacts directly with the heel portion of the latter, and the spacinginsert 21 which serves to retain the pad 23 in proper position-extendslaterally and rearwardly beneath the heel portions of the inseam ridges12 and welt 13, and forwardly to approximately the front edge of theheel.

The outsole 15 is preferably formed of a single piece of sole leather orother wear resisting sheet material having substantially uniformthickness throughout its area, and preferably has no openings orrecesses therein aside from those formed by stitching to be subsequentlydescribed. The heel base 16 may'likewise be formed of leather or othersuitable sheet material, and coacts at its top directly with and may becemented to the heel portion of the outsole 15, while the lower facethereof has a thin binder 24 of relatively soft and porous materialpermanently attached thereto as by cementing or otherwise. The binder24, heel base 16, outsole 15 and insert 21 are firmly attached to thewelt 13 by means of stitching 25 as clearly shown in Figs. 1, 3 and 4,and this stitching 25 extends entirely around the sole of the shoe andmay in some cases be carried inwardly along the front of the heel up tothe metal shank stiffener 20, but not necessarily so. The lower heel 1'?may be constructed of any suitable material such as rubber or leather orother wear resisting and supporting material, and is finally and firmlyattached to the binder 24 by means of cement; and the binder 24functions to provide a perfect and durable union between the unitedparts by virtue of its porosity and resultant adaptability to absorb andretain the adhesive material.

In manufacturing shoes in accordance withthe present improved method,the upper 8, lining 9, insole 11 and welt 13 are first assembled andunited by means of the inseam stitching 18, after which the main cushionpad 14 may be inserted and attached as by cementing within the lowercavity formed by the inseam ridge 12 of the insole. The insert 21 andauxiliary cushion 23 may be then applied and cemented in place after theshank stiffener 20, if used, has been positioned properly upon the lowerface of the pad 14. The

outsole 15 may next be applied to the welt 13 at the forward portion ofthe shoe and sewed firmly in place by means of short stitching 25, therear or heel portion of the outsole 15 coacting with the insert 21 andtemporarily lying loosely thereagainst. The heel base 16 and binder 24are subsequently applied to the lower surface of the heel portion of theoutsole l5 and permanently attached thereto by longer stitching 25passing through the heel base 16, outsole l5, insert 21 and welt 13, andextending around the heel portion of the shoe up to the short stitching25 at the front of the shoe. If so desired, this long stitching 25 mayalso be carried inwardly at the front of the heel up to the shankstiffener 20, if used, or it may be carried entirely across the heelfront if no stiffener 20 is employed. To complete the shoe assemblage,the lower heel 1'1 is finally glued or cemented to the binder 24, thusproviding a neat appearing and durable final structure which is entirelydevoid of nails or other metallic fasteners.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that the presentinvention, besides providing a strong and durable shoe structure whichis devoid of nails, also provides a moisture-proof construction havingample cushioning effect throughout the entire bearing area of thewearers foot. The single cushion provided by the pad 14 alone at theforward portion of the shoe is sufiicient, and the heel bone isadditionally cushioned by the auxiliary pad 23 which may be appliedwithout perforating or otherwise weakening the heel portion of the outersole 15. The insert 21 not only provides a spacer for accommodating theauxiliary pad 23, but may be formed of relatively stiffer material thanordinary sole leather, such as fibre-board, thus adding to the supportof the heel portion of the shoe and assisting in maintaining thisportion of the shoe in proper shape. The cementing and stitching of theheel base 16, outsole 15 and insert 21 to each other and to the welt,besides eliminating necessity of utilizing objectionable nails, alsoeffectively confines the cushion pads 14, 23 within the inseam ridge 12at the heel of the shoe without distorting this ridge by causingcushioning material to extend thereunder. Although the spacing insert 21projects outwardly to a sumcient extent to prevent direct coactionbetween the outsole 15 and the welt 13 at the heel, and is also visiblein the completed structure, this difference in appearance over that ofthe usual unyielding Goodyear welt type of shoe is not in factobjectionable but adds a touch of refinement and 13g individuality tothe improved shoe structure. The improved structure by virtue of thesimplicity of the parts and the elimination of holes in the outsole 15,may be readily manufactured with ordinary shoe factory equipment, andhas proven 35 highly satisfactory in actual commercial use.

It should be understood that it is not desired to limit the invention tothe exact details of construction and to the precise mode of assemblyherein shown and described, for various modifi- 0 cations within thescope of the claims may occur to persons skilled in the art.

It is claimed and desired to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In a shoe, the combination with an insole having an inseam ridge, awelt and an outsole, of a sponge rubber cushion pad coacting directlywith the heel portion of the insole within the inseam ridge, arelatively stiff insert coacting with the heel portion of the welt andwith the lower face of said pad and having an opening therein, and anauxiliary cushioning pad disposed within said opening and coactingdirectly with the lower face of said first-mentioned pad, said auxiliarypad and said insert coacting with the plane upper face of the heel prtion of the outsole and the outer edge portion of said insert beinginterposed between the inseam ridge and the outsole at the heel of theshoe.

2. In a shoe, the combination with an insole having an inseam ridge, awelt and an outsole, of a pair of superimposed cushion pads between thelower face of the insole and the upper face of the outsole at the heelportion of the shoe, a spacing insert disposed between the heel portionof the welt and the adjacent portion of the outsole and extendinginwardly under the inseam ridge to confine the lower of said pads inplace, and a heel base coacting with the heel portion of the outsolebeneath said pads, said base, outsole and insert all being sewed to saidwelt.

3. In a shoe, the combination with an insole having an inseam ridge, awelt and an outsole, of superimposed independent cushion pads interposedbetween the lower face of the insole entirely within the inseam ridgeand the upper face of the outsole at the heel portion of the shoe, and arelatively stifi spacing insert embracing the lower of said pads andextending therefrom beneath the upper pad and the inseam ridge and welt,said outsole and said insert being attached to said welt by commonstitching.

4. In a shoe, an insole having a flexible heel portion, a main cushionpad secured to said heel portion, an insert extending beneath said maincushion and having an opening therein, an auxiliary cushion pad withinsaid opening, an outsole coacting with said auxiliary cushion, a heelbase sewed to said outsole and to said insert, and a lower heel cementedto said heel base.

5. In a shoe, an insole having a flexible heel portion, a main cushionpad beneath said heel portion, an insert having an opening beneath saidmain pad, an outsole coacting with the lower face of said insert, and anauxiliary cushion pad of greater thickness than said insert disposedwithin said opening.

6. In a shoe, an insole having a flexible heel portion surrounded by aninseam ridge, a main cushion pad beneath said heel portion and withinsaid inseam ridge, an insert extending beneath said inseam ridge andhaving an opening beneath said main pad, an outsole coacting with thelower face of said insert, and an auxiliary cushion pad of greaterthickness than said insert resting upon said outsole and confined withinsaid opening.

7. In a shoe, an insole having a heel portion and an inseam ridgeextending around the same, a welt sewed to said inseam ridge, a maincushion pad beneath said heel portion and within said inseam ridge, astiif insert coacting with said welt and with said main cushion andhaving an opening therein, an outsole coacting with the under face ofsaid insert and extending beneath said opening, and an auxiliary cushionpad disposed within said opening and coacting directly with the lowerface of said main pad.

8. In a shoe, an insole having a heel portion and an inseam ridgeextending around the same, a welt sewed to said inseam ridge, a maincushion pad beneath said heel portion and within said inseam ridge, astifi insert coacting with said welt and with said main cushion andhaving an opening therein, an outsole coacting with the CHESTER F.ROI-IN. FRANKLYN A. ROHN.

